1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a signal reproducing device capable of reproducing a series of signals stored in a signal storing device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) device.
2. Description of Related Art
There has been conventionally known a hard disk player incorporating an HDD device and being capable of reproducing music data stored in the HDD device. In the hard disk player, when a reproduction key is depressed by a user, music data for one tune is read out from the HDD device. The music data read out is temporarily stored in a built-in memory, and thereafter read out from the memory. The music data read out is, after having a predetermined data processing applied thereto, fed to an incorporated speaker or a headphone connected thereto, and output from the speaker or the headphone as voice.
A skip manipulation during reproduction of music data enables the hard disk player to reproduce music data of a tune that lies ahead from a currently reproduced tune by a number in accordance with the number of times of the manipulation.
However, in the hard disk player, because the HDD device is set to a standby state after music data for one tune is read out from the HDD device until music data is next read out in order to reduce power consumption of the HDD device, when a skip manipulation is made with the HDD device set to the standby state, it is needed to activate the HDD device from the standby state to read out music data from the HDD device. This has been causing a problem of a long reproduction waiting time of approximately 10 seconds before reproduction of the music data.
Accordingly, there has been known a hard disk player incorporating a flash memory, for example, in which music data for a plurality of tunes is read out from an HDD device for temporary storage in the memory, and thereafter sequentially read out from the memory.
FIG. 8(a) to FIG. 8(c) show an example of changes in a data content in a flash memory during reproduction in such a hard disk player. In a description given below, music data for six tunes can be stored in the flash memory.
After the player is powered on, when a reproduction key is depressed, music data 1-6 for six tunes is read out from an HDD device, and stored in the flash memory as shown in FIG. 8(a). Then, an operation starts of reading out and reproducing music data 1 of a first tune from the memory. Thereafter, upon completion of reproduction of music data 1 of the first tune, an operation starts of reading out and reproducing music data 2 of a second tune from the flash memory as shown in FIG. 8(b). During this operation, music data 1 of the first tune is erased from the flash memory, and thereafter music data 7 of a seventh tune, which is not stored in the flash memory, is read out from the HDD device and stored in the memory. Further, upon completion of reproduction of music data 2 of the second tune, an operation starts of reading out and reproducing music data 3 of a third tune from the flash memory as shown in FIG. 8(c). During this operation, music data 2 of the second tune is erased from the flash memory, and thereafter music data 8 of an eighth tune is read out from the HDD device and stored in the memory.
As described above, because the flash memory always stores currently reproduced music data and music data for five tunes with a reproduction order later than that of the music data, it is unnecessary upon completion of reproduction of the music data to read out music data of a next tune from the HDD device. This prevents a reproduction waiting time before reproduction of the music data.
When a skip manipulation is made three times during reproduction of music data of the second tune, for example, with music data 2-7 of second to seventh tunes stored in the flash memory as shown in FIG. 8(b), it is possible to read out and reproduce music data 5 of a fifth tune from the flash memory without reading out the music data from the HDD device. This prevents a reproduction waiting time. However, when a skip manipulation is made six times or more with a condition described above, because music data of an eighth tune or later is not stored in the flash memory, reproduction is made by activating the HDD device, reading out the music data from the HDD device for storage in the flash memory, and thereafter reading out the data from the flash memory.
FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 show a reproduction procedure to be performed in the hard disk player with the flash memory. When the player is powered on, an inquiry is made as shown in step S31 as to whether or not a reproduction key is depressed by a user. When the answer is negative, the same inquiry is repeated in step S31. On the other hand, when the reproduction key is depressed by the user and the answer to step S31 is affirmative, step S32 follows to activate the HDD device. Thereafter in step S33, music data for six tunes is read out from the HDD device and transferred to the flash memory. Next in step S34, an operation starts of reading out and reproducing music data of a first tune from the flash memory. Thereafter in step S35, an inquiry is made as to whether or not a skip manipulation is made by the user. When the answer is negative, step S41 in FIG. 10 follows to inquire whether or not reproduction of music data for one tune is completed. When the answer is negative, step S35 in FIG. 9 follows again to inquire whether or not a skip manipulation is made.
Thereafter when reproduction of music data for one tune is completed, the answer to step S41 in FIG. 10 is affirmative, and step S42 follows to inquire whether or not the reproduction completed tune is a last tune stored in the HDD device. When the reproduction completed tune is not a last tune stored in the HDD device, step S43 follows to start an operation of reading out and reproducing music data of a next tune to the reproduction completed tune from the flash memory. Next in step S44, music data of the reproduction completed tune is erased from the flash memory. Subsequently in step S45, the HDD device is activated from a standby state. Thereafter in step S46, music data of a next tune to a tune with the latest reproduction order stored in the flash memory is read out from the HDD device and transferred to the flash memory. Then step S35 in FIG. 9 follows again to inquire whether or not a skip manipulation is made.
When a skip manipulation is made by the user with music data being reproduced as described above, the answer to step S35 is affirmative, and step S36 follows to inquire whether or not music data of a tune selected by the skip manipulation is stored in the flash memory. When the answer here is affirmative, step S40 follows to start an operation of reading out and reproducing the music data of the selected tune from the flash memory, followed by step S41 in FIG. 10.
On the other hand, when the answer to step S36 in FIG. 9 is negative, step S37 follows to erase music data from the flash memory. Next in step S38, the HDD device is activated from a standby state. Thereafter, step S39 follows to read out music data for six tunes including the selected tune from the HDD device for transfer to the flash memory. Then in step S40, an operation starts of reading out and reproducing the music data of the selected tune from the flash memory, followed by step S41 in FIG. 10.
Thereafter when reproduction of music data of a last tune stored in the HDD device is completed, the answer to step S42 is affirmative, and step S47 follows to stop reproducing operation. Then step S31 in FIG. 9 follows again to wait for the reproduction key to be depressed.
However, in the conventional hard disk player with the flash memory, the flash memory can store tunes in small number because whole music data for each tune is stored in the flash memory. This has been causing a problem that a reproduction waiting time can often occur due to failure for the flash memory to store music data of a tune selected by a skip manipulation as described above.